Wind turbine blade including two lightning down conductor arrangements and wind turbine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12529358-B2
Application number	US-202218719147-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2022
Priority date	Dec 20, 2021
Publication date	Jan 20, 2026
Grant date	Jan 20, 2026

Abstract

A wind turbine blade including two electrically conductive spar caps, two lightning down conductor arrangements, and a further electrical conductor, wherein the spar caps and the lightning down conductor arrangements extend along a spanwise direction of the blade at least between a root-side end portion and a tip-side end portion of the blade, wherein each of the spar caps is electrically connected to only one of the lightning down conductor arrangements within a section of the blade between the root-side end portion and the tip-side end portion, wherein the further electrical conductor is electrically connected within the section to only one of the spar caps and/or to only one of the lightning down conductor arrangements at one or more connection positions is provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A wind turbine blade comprising two electrically conductive spar caps, two lightning down conductor arrangements, and a further electrical conductor, wherein the spar caps and the lightning down conductor arrangements extend along a spanwise direction of the blade at least between a root-side end portion and a tip-side end portion of the blade, wherein each of the spar caps is electrically connected to only a respective one of the lightning down conductor arrangements within a section of the blade between the root-side end portion and the tip-side end portion, wherein the further electrical conductor is electrically connected within the section to only one of the spar caps and/or to only one of the lightning down conductor arrangements, and wherein the further electrical conductor is connected to at least one of the spar caps and/or at least one of the lightning down conductor arrangements at a plurality of connection positions, wherein the plurality of connection positions are offset in the spanwise direction of the blade, and wherein the further electrical conductor comprises one or more signal cables and a shield conductor, wherein the shield conductor is electrically connected to at least one of the spar caps and/or at least one of the lightning down conductor arrangements.

2 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the section extends over at least 50% of a spanwise length of the blade.

3 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the section comprises a root-side subsection adjacent to the root-side end portion, a tip-side subsection adjacent to the tip-side end portion and an intermediate subsection between the root-side subsection and the tip-side subsection, wherein in the root-side subsection and/or the tip-side subsection, a distance between two adjacent connection positions of the plurality of connection positions is smaller than in the intermediate subsection.

4 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the further electrical conductor is connected to at least one of the spar caps and/or at least one of the lightning down conductor arrangements via at least one of the plurality of connection positions by at least one electrically conductive connection.

5 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the further electrical conductor is arranged at a shear web structure of the blade and/or that the further electrical conductor is arranged at or within a portion of a shell of the blade.

6 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the spar caps, the lightning down conductor arrangements and the further electrical conductor are electrically connected in the root-side end portion at a root-side contact and/or in the tip-side end portion at a tip-side contact.

7 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the further electrical conductor extends from the root-side end portion, wherein the further electrical conductor comprises a length of at least 10 m and/or wherein the further electrical conductor extends to the tip-side end portion.

8 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the spar caps and/or at least one of the lightning down conductor arrangements is connected to the further electrical conductor within the section.

9 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the further electrical conductor is connected to at least one sensor and/or at least one actuator.

10 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the spar caps comprise or consist of a carbon fiber-based material.

11 . The wind turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the blade comprises two half-shells forming a shell of the blade, wherein each half-shell comprises one of the spar caps.

12 . A wind turbine comprising at least one wind turbine blade according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Innovation & Technology SL

Inventors

• Nauheimer Michael
• Ponnada Sri Markandeya Rajesh
• March Nomen Victor

Classifications

• F03D80/30

  Lightning protection · CPC title

• F03D1/0675 Primary

  of the blades · CPC title

• F03D1/0681

  Spar caps · CPC title

• F03D80/003

  Power-supply to auxiliary components, e.g. to pitch drives or cooling fans · CPC title

• Y02E10/72

  Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction · CPC title